Good morning. As we have been hearing, Russia has defied last night’s deadline to explain how a Novichok nerve agent came to be used in the poisoning of Yulia & Sergei Skripal. Today, in the light of that response, Mrs May will meet with the National Security Council to consider the next steps for our country.

Good morning. Ken Dodd who died earlier in the week and Stephen Hawking, might seem to have occupied very different intellectual worlds but of course they shared the predicament and challenge of all human beings and one thing in particular they shared was a strong sense of humour.

Good morning. Many tributes have been paid following the death of Professor Stephen Hawking for his extraordinary scientific achievements and his humanity in the midst of severe illness. As someone who has written much about him, he was an inspiration to me in my life as an astrophysicist and as a Christian theologian- though in later life he himself became more convinced as an atheist.

Britain has said that Russia has till midnight on Tuesday to explain its role in a nerve agent attack of a former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on British soil. Moscow claims the Prime Minister Thresa's accusations are unfounded.

I’ve always felt very lucky to have spent most of my working life as an academic. The space to read, think and educate others as well as myself has been a joy but last week I found myself sympathising with my more junior colleagues and the pressures they’re facing today.

Good morning. Today is Commonwealth Day remarkably linking almost a third of the world’s population from 53 nations in unity and diversity. Her Majesty the Queen will speak about the value of connection, in exchanging ideas and seeing life in different perspectives.

The Pope’s announcement this week that Archbishop Oscar Romero is to be declared a saint was hardly a surprise. In the 38 years since he was murdered as he celebrated mass in his native El Salvador, some have continued to dismiss him as a dangerous subversive, but many recognise him as a model of courage and humility.

Good morning. Today is International Women’s Day and I am thinking of a well-brought up young woman who was thrown into prison with four companions for breaking the rules of patriarchy: disobeying her father, her husband, and the state. She was nursing an infant son at the time and one of her companions was heavily pregnant. After a brief show trial they were all sentenced to death and duly executed.

Good morning. People who spy against their own country arouse strong feelings. Mr Putin has apparently compared Russians who do this to Judas. After all, we are meant to love our country, not betray it. But what if we feel that our country is taking totally the wrong path and proving a deadly danger to itself and others?

Hello, Im Mary Marshall with the BBC News. The BBC understands that the Russian man who was convicted of spying for Britain is critically ill in hospital after being exposed to an unknown substance. A woman is also seriously ill. The man is believed to be Sergei Skripal who was convicted of high treason in Russia in 2006.

Good morning. Still today, thousands of homes throughout Britain are without water – thanks to an unprecedented number of burst water mains. Dwr Cymru, the water company here in Wales, say they’re repairing 200 leaks a day, but the misery for some will continue for a few more days.

Good morning. Sunday’s election in Italy attracted a lot of coverage, but a referendum in Switzerland got little attention. The Swiss were invited to abolish their equivalent of the BBC licence fee. Households there pay ￡348 a year to keep the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation going, more than twice the cost here.

Good morning. As we have been hearing, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water last night won Oscars for best picture and best director. It is not a surprise that in a post Weinstein world, themes of inclusion and exclusion and the importance of standing against injustice were woven through the ceremony and indeed were present in the movies honoured.

Snow drifts on roadsides. Rubbish bins flying around in blizzards. The country coming to a standstill. I can only be talking about one thing. The Beast from the East and now Storm Emma. The Siberian winds have caused schools to close, left people stranded on motorways overnight, and have tragically resulted in fatalities.

Hello, Im Mary Marshall with the BBC News. President Putin has unveiled plans for a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons, including a misille which could travel at five times the speed of sound to evade US defenses. In the state of the nations speech, President Putin also pledged to half the number of Russians living below the poverty line.